Second "Three-Islands" Euroconference Home Page
STELLAR CLUSTERS AND ASSOCIATIONS:
CONVECTION, ROTATION, AND DYNAMOS
May 25 - 28, 1999
Mondello (Palermo), Sicily, Italy
Organized by
LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (LOC)
F. Bocchino, F. Damiani, G. Micela, R. Pallavicini, S. Sciortino
This is the second announcement of an Euroconference on cool stars in stellar clusters and associations (convection, rotation, and dynamos) to be held in Mondello, Palermo (Sicily, Italy) on May 25 - 28, 1999. The meeting is organized by the Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo (OAPA) and is the second of three Euroconferences (which we named the "Three-Islands Euroconferences") partially supported by the European Union (EU) and devoted to galactic open clusters and young stellar associations. The first one, on very low mass stars and brown dwarfs, was held in Los Cancajos, La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain) on May 11-15, 1998 and was organized by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias; the third one, on star formation and young stellar objects, will be held in Cargese, Corse (France) in April 2000 and will be organized by the Service d'Astrophysique - CEN Saclay.
These Euroconferences are aimed at facilitating the coordination of European research and stimulating the training of young researchers in the very promising field of stellar clusters.
The rationale behind this second workshop is to bring together specialists working in areas related to research on stars of late spectral types (F to M) in open clusters and associations. The aim of the meeting is to review the current knowledge of these stars on both the observational and theoretical aspects. Emphasis will be given to new results in this field and to advances made since the workshop held in Palermo in May 1997 on a similar subject. The advantages offered by stellar clusters as laboratories where homogeneous populations of cool dwarfs of different ages can be studied will be stressed, and fundamental problems related to the physics of stellar clusters will be reviewed. Recent results on field stars, as well as on the physics of processes like convection, angular momentum evolution and magnetic field generation by dynamo action will be discussed as well.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
Preliminary registration................1 February 1999
Applications for EU funding.........15 March 1999
Final registration...........................1 April 1999
Hotel booking.................................1 April 1999
Abstracts due.................................1 April 1999
Third and final announcement.....1 May 1999
Euroconference..............................25-28 May 1999
Manuscript submission..................1 July 1999
A Preliminary Scientific Programme with a list of invited talks can be found in these Web pages.
Topics to be discussed at the meeting include:
- Stellar structure and evolution
- Convection and mixing mechanisms
- Cluster distances and ages
- IMFs, mass segregation and cluster evolution
- Elemental abundances and metallicities
- Lithium and Berillium depletion
- Rotation and angular momentum evolution
- Magnetic fields and stellar activity
- New technologies and large-scale programs
In addition to invited reviews and talks, contributed papers and posters can be presented. The SOC will select a limited number of contributions for oral presentation on the basis of the submitted abstracts. Authors will be notified in due time if their contribution is scheduled as an oral or poster presentation.
The meeting will take place at the Hotel "La Torre" in Mondello, a small sea-side resort town about 5 km from Palermo. We expect most participants to stay in this hotel. We have booked a block of single and double rooms at this hotel at a reduced fare. The cost per night with half-board (room + breakfast + lunch) will be LIT 150,000 per night per person in single room and LIT 120,000 per night per person in double room. At the current rate of exchange 1 US dollar is about 1,700 LIT. Hotel reservations will be handled by the LOC. A hotel reservation form ascii.txt (or postscript version) can be found from this Web page (to be returned by 1 April 1999). Reservations will be made on a first-come/first-served basis. A one-night deposit is required for all reservations. A refund can be obtained for cancellations notified prior to 1 May 1999.
Mondello is conveniently connected to Palermo by public transportation (city bus); however, we do not recommend to stay in downtown Palermo since the commuting time may be as long as 30 to 60 minutes early in the morming due to traffic congestion, and the prices may be considerably higher. Moreover, the Hotel La Torre is right on the seashore, has a nice swimming pool and a beautiful view over the bay of Mondello and offers both excellent facilities for the scientific sessions and a pleasant atmosphere for participants and accompanying persons alike. In Mondello there are plenty of seafood restaurants for the nights left free of social events.
A registration fee of 250,000 LIT (approximately 150 US dollars at the current rate of change) will be charged to all participants. This will include the use of the conference facilities, refreshments during the Workshop, attendance of the social events, and a copy of the Proceedings. Instructions on how to pay the registration fee prior to the conference (by VISA, MASTERCARD or AMEX) are given in the Registration Form. Alternatively, the registration fee can be paid at the conference desk upon arrival, by either credit card (VISA, MASTERCARD or AMEX) or in cash (exclusively in Italian Lire).
European Union (EU) funding is available to support participation of young astronomers from across the Community and the Associated States. Researchers aged 35 years or under in all cases, who are nationals of EU Member or Associated States (i.e. Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland) can apply for partial or total EU funding. Particular emphasis will be made to support researchers whose place of work is in a less-favoured region of the EU or who work for industry, as well as female applicants.
An application form ascii.txt (or postscript version) for support is provided with this announcement. It should be sent no later than March 15, 1999 by fax to Prof. Roberto Pallavicini, Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Italy (Fax number: +39-091-233 444). Applicants will be notified by 15 April 1999 concerning the outcome of their application.
Payment of grants will be made at the conference desk, upon arrival and/or directly to the hotel for the part concerning accomodation expenses. Registration fees will be waived in all cases. Each participant will be responsible for setting his/her hotel bill for any extra charge (e.g. telephone) not covered by the grant. Accomodation will be paid for on the basis of a shared twin-bedded room at Hotel La Torre in Mondello.
Except those selected for oral presentation, all other contributed papers should be presented as posters. Poster papers will be accepted on all topics relevant to the study of stars in clusters and associations. Ample time will be allocated to the display of posters and for informal discussions in the poster area. Panels will be available in a room adjacent to the conference hall for display of posters. They will be on show for the full duration of the meeting. The poster size is about 1m x 1m.
Those who wish to present a paper (either oral or poster) are kindly requested to send us a one-page abstract before 1 April 1999 using the template LaTeX file provided herein. Invited speakers too are kindly requested to send us a one-page abstract of their talk for inclusion in the Abstract Booklet.
The Proceedings of the conference will be published by a major international publisher (we are considering at present either PASP or CUP). We are aiming at publishing both oral and poster contributions. There will be no difference in the Proceedings between oral and poster contributed papers. Instructions for the preparation of manuscripts for the proceedings will be given in the final announcement or at the conference. The deadline for submission of the camera-ready texts is 1 July 1999.
The programme of the social events is not yet been completely finalized. We anticipate that a welcome reception will be held at Hotel La Torre on Monday evening May 24, from 7 to 9 pm. A half-day excursion will be held on Wednesday afternoon May 26 to visit the ruins of the Greek city of Selinunte on the Southern coast of Sicily with possible extension to Marsala to visit the famous wine cellars. Finally, a closing dinner will be held in Thursday night, May 27, most likely in a historical palace in downtown Palermo. These events will be free of charge for registered participants.
There will be the possibility of full-day excursions to various touristic locations in Sicily (like Agrigento, Cefalu` or Piazza Armerina) on Saturday May 29. These optional full-day tours will be organized by a local travel agent and can be purchased at the registration desk upon arrival. Details and prices will be given in the Final Announcement. Half-day excursions (to Palermo and Monreale, and to Segesta) will also be organised during the meeting for accompanying persons if a minimum number of participants is reached.
The easiest way to reach Palermo is by air, through frequent flights that connect Palermo to Rome and Milano. There are a few direct flights to a number of European destinations, but usually the most convenient way to reach Palermo from abroad is via a connecting flight in Rome or Milano Malpensa (not Milano Linate). We do not advise you to come by train, ferry or car, unless you come from other destinations in Southern Italy. You do not need to rent a car for your stay in Mondello.
From the airport, you can easily reach the centre of Palermo by public transportation (there is a frequent and inexpensive bus service just ouside the arrival area). The bus ticket from the airport (Punta Raisi) to downtown Palermo costs 6,500 LIT and can be bought on the bus. In Palermo you should get off at stop ``Politeama'' (ask the driver). From Politeama one can reach Mondello by city bus No. 806 getting off at the last stop, just in front of hotel La Torre. The ticket for the city bus costs 1,600 LIT and must be bought at newsstands or "Tabacchi" before boarding the bus. Note that taking a taxi from the airport to Mondello is much more expensive (around LIT 80,000).
For those arriving in the afternoon of Monday May 24 we will organize a shuttle service from the airport to Hotel La Torre in Mondello. Details will be given in the Final Announcement. A map of downtown Palermo is available in these Web pages.
Palermo is the capital city of Sicily and is rich in history and art. There are beautiful Arab and Norman buildings as well as baroque churches and palaces. It is the best starting point to visit Sicily where many archeological sites and ancient Phoenician, Greek and Roman ruins can be seen. Close to Palermo there are nice beaches (like Mondello itself) as well as many interesting small towns both on the coast and in the interior. Famous touristic centers like Agrigento, Erice, Piazza Armerina and many others can be reached in one-day excursions, while places like Taormina, Mount Etna and Siracusa may need two-day excursions. Monreale, Segesta and Cefalu` can be visited in half-a-day.
Temperatures in Palermo in late May are usually around 20-25 degree Celsius, with little difference between night and day. It should be possible to go swimming both in the hotel swimming pool and at the beach. Occasionally, however, it might be raining, so take an umbrella or a light raincoat, just in case. A sweather or a light jacket may be needed in the evening.
ATTACHED FORMS
The following forms are available in these Web pages:
- Registration Form
ascii.txt (or postscript
version)
(to be returned by 1 April 1999)
- Hotel Booking Form
ascii.txt (or postscript
version)
(to be returned by 1 April 1999)
- Abstract Template Form in LaTeX
(to be returned by 1 April 1999)
- Application Form for EC funding
ascii.txt (or postscript
version)
(to be returned by 15 March 1999)
Also available in these Web page is the
Preliminary Scientific Programme .
Those who plan to attend the Euroconference are kindly requested to fill the Registration Form and return it to us by either e-mail (workshop@oapa.astropa.unipa.it) or by fax (+39-091-233 444) before 1 April 1999.
By the same date you should also return (exclusively by fax) the Hotel Booking Form with one night deposit (please do not forget to give details about your credit card and sign the form !).
Abstracts of contributed and invited papers (in LaTeX) are also due by the same date.
or by fax: | +39 - 091 - 233 444 |
or by phone: | +39 - 091 - 233 251 (R. Pallavicini) |
+39 - 091 - 233 230 (S. Sciortino) |
|
+39 - 091 - 233 231 (G. Micela) |
We are looking forward to seeing you in Mondello next May.
On behalf of the SOC and LOC,
with kind regards
Roberto Pallavicini
Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo
Giuseppe S. Vaiana
Palazzo dei Normanni,
Piazza del Parlamento 1
I-90134 Palermo, Italy
pallavic@oapa.astropa.unipa.it
Tel: +39-091-233 251,
Fax: +39-091-233 444
Second "Three-Islands" Euroconference Home Page